Piecing together something that happened over a decade ago was no easy task.
Fortunately, Symboli Sirius could still glean details from people who'd worked for the Tokai Family at the time.
And with the list of retired personnel provided by Tokai Roman, investigating wasn't especially hard.
But easier didn't mean easy.
It wasn't until today—January 12th—that Symboli Sirius finally obtained a small piece of useful information.
"I don't remember it very clearly anymore," the man, now around fifty, said thoughtfully, trying to reconstruct the scene. "It was a snowy day. Natural-san had been missing for about eight days when she was brought back home by a black sedan."
"It was odd that Miss Natural was returned by someone else, but I noticed another Uma Musume in the car. Because of that, I took an extra look inside and saw something like a family crest decoration."
At this key information, Sirius stared sharply at the man. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, there was definitely a family crest."
"Could you describe it? What did it look like?"
His certainty made Symboli Sirius suddenly tense.
This was natural.
Family crests were distinct enough that once identified, she'd immediately know exactly which Tokyo family was involved.
"Ah, well…"
The man scratched his head, looking troubled.
For someone past fifty, recalling specific details from over ten years ago was genuinely difficult.
"Can you recall any details at all? Even the smallest thing would help."
Even one small detail could narrow down the huge range of possible families.
"I… Even if you say that…"
His voice was painfully hesitant.
Symboli Sirius wasn't sure if pressing further was the right choice.
But like a sudden shooting star, when he raised his head again, meeting Sirius's eyes, remembering her name—
He suddenly grasped a critical point.
"Oh, right! It was the Symboli Family's crest!"
"What—are you certain?"
Hearing this, Sirius's first reaction wasn't joy at having found a clue; instead, she immediately grasped another unsettling implication.
If it truly was the Symboli Family's crest…
The only Uma Musume possibly connected would be herself or Symboli Rudolf.
And if that was the case…
"I'm very certain. That crest belonged to the Symboli Family. I believe it was around that time when the Tokai Family and the Symboli Family started having occasional interactions."
Hearing this confident assertion, Symboli Sirius furrowed her brows deeply.
Seeing her reaction, the man wanted to say something more but dared not speak further, mindful of his past service with the family and wary of angering Symboli Sirius.
Fortunately, Sirius quickly realized she was still in someone else's home.
She stood up. "Sorry for making you recall something from so long ago."
As she spoke, she took out some money from her pocket and handed it over.
Without hesitation, the man accepted the fifty thousand yen from Sirius.
She wasn't surprised at how quickly he took it. After all, people of his age preferred having extra savings just in case.
Having given him the money, Sirius didn't linger any longer and quickly left the man's home.
Only when she reached the street did Sirius take out her phone.
She knew the man's account alone couldn't be entirely relied upon. But if the incident truly involved the Symboli Family, there was one person who would absolutely remember.
She dialed that person's number.
"Sirius~! How rare for you to call! I remember you weren't planning on retiring yet. Shouldn't you be training right now?"
The voice was slightly aged but full of vigor.
It even sounded younger and livelier than Tokai Natural's.
"Speed-obaasan, I just need to confirm something with you." Symboli Sirius hesitated briefly before deciding to continue:
"When I was younger…did you pick up a runaway Uma Musume from the Tokai Family?"
"Huh? How do you know about that?"
"Never mind that. Just tell me quickly!"
Facing a family member and suspecting the truth, Sirius became impatient.
Thankfully, her impatience clearly got through to Symboli Speed.
"Alright, alright, I'll explain briefly. Back then, Rudolf kept being harsh with her mother, so I often had to discipline her. One time, when it seemed Rudolf went too far, I was a bit harsh on her, so that brat ran away from home."
Hearing "ran away from home," Symboli Sirius had already guessed the possibility.
"Don't tell me—she brought back another Uma Musume?"
"Yes, exactly. But it's slightly different from what you said. On about the fifth day, Rudolf herself called me. I assumed she was hungry or something, but it turned out to be about an Uma Musume from another family."
Hearing this, Symboli Sirius confirmed the other party's identity and pressed on: "That other family—was it the Tokai Family?"
"Yes, it was a Tokai Family Uma Musume. I even investigated her name specifically afterward—something like Tokai Ten'nen or Tokai Natural?"
"And then…?"
"Well, at the time, Rudolf had no ability to survive independently outside. Apparently, that Tokai Family girl had been taking care of Rudolf the whole time. After Rudolf called me and told me the girl had collapsed from illness, I first brought her to the hospital for treatment, and then took her back to the Tokai home."
Symboli Speed's words left Sirius speechless. She now understood clearly what had happened back then.
However, just before ending the call, Sirius asked one final question: "Is this the reason Rudolf chose to marry into the Tokai Family?"
"When we sent the girl back, Rudolf went along. Maybe she remembered the family name at that point. From then on, Rudolf kept insisting she wanted to marry that Tokai girl, even going so far as to explain the situation to the Mejiro Family, declining the match originally intended with Mejiro Peak."
Upon hearing this, Symboli Sirius opened her mouth, intending to speak.
But after a long silence, she eventually said softly, "Thank you, Obaa-san."
"Well, it's nothing. But you suddenly asking this…did either the Tokai Family or that brat Rudolf do something wrong again?"
"…"
Symboli Sirius didn't respond. Instead, she took a deep breath and spoke again, "My investigation isn't finished yet. I'll tell you everything once I'm done, Obaa-san."
Hearing this, Symboli Speed, who was dressed in slim-fit jeans and a white shirt, looking far younger than her age implied, simply opened the balcony window, gazed at the Eiffel Tower bathed in sunlight, pondered for several seconds, then made her judgment:
"Alright! Then I'll leave things to you. If that brat Rudolf does anything stupid again, just tell me."
Symboli Sirius nodded. "It's okay. I can handle it."
With that, Sirius hung up the phone.
Lowering the phone, she raised her eyes to the now pitch-black sky above.
Due to the city lights, not a single star could be seen in the dark sky. It offered no guidance.
But Sirius already knew exactly what she needed to do next.
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T/N: LMAOOOO RUDOLF U FUCK UP!!! YOU SAID YOU REMEMBER EVERY FACE HUH??? FALSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE